Ybab Cigam
by ChibiKojinoda
Summary: A spell leaves some members of the DC-U in a smaller state. Will the rest find the guy in time? And how will Tim, Lex and Alfred cope with mini heroes at home? SLASH - Bruce x Dick, Tim x Kon, Lex x Clark
1. Chapter 1

Title: Ybab Cigam

Series: DC-U

Pairings: Bruce x Dick, Tim x Kon, Lex x Clark

Rating: PG

Warnings: AU, OOCish, Fluff, Idiocy, Smut

Disclaimer: I own my brain and the stories it creates. DC and many others own the characters that I play with – as such, no money is made and much time is wasted.

**YBAB CIGAM.**

Tim sighed as he approached the manor from the main gate – it'd been a long day, made even more so when Bruce had failed to collect him from school. A bright white flash shone out from the old building, and he stopped in his tracks. Calculating the angle and speed of the flare, he determined it's location as being the garages, and ditching his bags – he ran towards them as fast as he could.

The lack of damage to the cars was the first thing he noticed, and it let him breathe a little easier – acts of violence almost always left an impact on the surrounding area, and with nothing out of place – the heart-pounding worry that coursed through him could ease a little.

A tiny sound – a mix between a sneeze and a splutter, had him reaching for the Birdarang he kept hidden behind the stitched crest pocket of his blazer. Carefully he moved forward and rounded the black Beamer that Bruce had been favouring of late – the one he was supposed to have picked him up in.

The site before his eyes made his mouth drop open and his eyes widen. On the floor were two little boys, huddled together in a puddle of clothes and looking up at him in concern. Kneeling down, he let go of the weapon and put his hands out in front of him, "Hey…" he wasn't really sure what to do or say – he'd never had any real exposure to little kids, "Where did you two come from?"

The boys didn't say anything, just cuddled closer to each other and stared silently at him, their big blue eyes filling with tears.

"Master Bruce? Master Dick? Are you still here?" the connecting door to the manor opened and Alfred walked in, "You'll be late to pick up… Master Timothy; who are these children?"

"I don't know," he rocked back on his heels, "Bruce didn't pick me up, so I walked home. When I got to the drive I saw a flash of light from here and … oh… Bruce? Dick?" the two little boys looked up at him as he tentatively called the names, and he groaned loudly as they stared at him, "Who did you piss off this time?"

"Language Master Tim," stepping over the stray cables and other typical garage debris, Alfred moved closer and fished the two naked children out of the oversized clothes. Looking at them sceptically, he wrapped them in the large, now abandoned, blazer and carried them into the house, "Come along Master Tim – we have much to do."

"Tell me about it," he muttered.

As he approached the penthouse, Clark could hear the sounds of slow sultry music. Resisting the urge to use his supervision, he opened the door and slipped inside.

The lights were off and the curtains drawn, but the flicker of candle light towards the bedroom made him grin and shrug off his coat. Removing his shoes, he padded closer – stopping so he had a clear view from the doorway, the sight before him was enough to downgrade the smile to a predatory leer.

Just as he was about to step forward and pounce, he felt a cold shudder shoot up his spine and the oppressive feel of magic wrap about him, "Lex…" he croaked and fell forward.

From the bed, Lex watched as his partner paled and toppled forward, landing in tiny crumpled heap on the floor – a heap that looked about five years old.

"Shit." Grabbing his dressing gown, he hurried forward and retrieved the JLA comm from his lover's too large clothes, flipping it open he grabbed Clark and requested a beam up to the station.

The league was in pandemonium, three little boys were sat in the corner watching with wide eyes. They'd all been found children's garments and looked, Tim thought, rather adorable.

Baby Bruce was holding onto Baby Dick like a teddy bear, his slightly longer arms and legs wrapped securely around the younger child. Next to them, Baby Clark was hanging onto a bruised looking silk shirt, his chubby little hands wringing the material tighter and tighter each time Luthor left his line of sight.

"Do we have any idea what happened, or even who did this?" Lex was keeping his voice level through sheer force of will; he'd shouted once and caused Clark to burst into tears – his supersonic wails shaking the room and knocking three of the wall-plaques free, "And why is it only the three of them?"

"As far as I can ascertain," J'ohn spoke up first, his human disguise in place for the sake of the children, "They were changed at the same time – this I could read from their minds. As for the where, who and why – we've called Zatanna Zatara. Hopefully she'll be able to see what magic has been used and reverse it."

"What makes you think it's magic?" the Flash was lounging by the door, but the ever changing snacks in his hands proved he wasn't actually as still as he appeared.

"Just before it hit, Superman identified the sensation he was feeling as the result of magic." J'ohn sat down and looked at his hands, his head was aching from the backlash of being in their minds and he needed a break.

It wasn't long before the Lady Magician arrived and looked at the three heroes turned children, "This attack," she proclaimed, "Was only meant for Superman."

"So how were Batman and Nightwing caught then?" Tim ran his hands through his hair and adjusted his mask.

Zatanna closed her eyes and spread her hands out – a faint purple aura flickering over them, "Batman carries upon him kryptonite – which is related to Superman; the focus lashed over the piece and caught him. Nightwing was dragged into the transformation as well when the wave spread – you can tell it was weaker when it hit as he is much younger than Batman – yet they are now mere months apart."

"So we've got some whacko aiming for Supes and scoring a triple whammy?" Flash interjected, "Any ideas yet on who…"

"More importantly," Wonder Woman interrupted the red-suited hero, "Can you undo it?"

"No." Zatanna shook her head, "I would need the caster to undo his work. But I must ask – has anyone checked on Superboy?"

Tim's eyes widened behind his mask and he hurriedly reached for his Titans communicator, "Robin to Superboy – come in…"

He was eventually answered by gurgles and the sounds of plastic straining under super strong teeth.

Alfred was staring at the room in disbelief. It had been decided that the 'children' would stay in the manor, as it was out of the way and secure enough that they would be safe. He'd only left the room for two minutes in order to get snacks for the boys, but upon returning he found complete chaos.

Clark was sitting underneath the antique writing desk - his face screwed up and red, tears beginning to pool in his eyes – there were sheets of paper and torn cushion foam swirling around him. Conner was sitting firmly in Tim's lap sticking his tongue out at the other Super; and the last two were curled up on the sofa – both fast asleep and tangled together, their clothes and hair covered in feathers from a burst pillow.

"Alfie," Tim's eyes were wide and a little wide around the edges, "A little help…"

Stepping fully into the room, the Butler put his tray down on the side table and picked the little alien up, "Master Clark – would you like to choose your cookie first?"

The little boy opened his eyes and nodded solemnly, "Pweese."

Sonic disaster averted, Tim turned his attention back to the small boy in his arms. He'd set up small video cameras in the corners of the room, and had the remote in his pocket ready to take stills – Kon had often lamented to him in secret, that we wished he'd had a childhood – and had a chance to be more than just The Kid, Superman's younger clone. Whilst the spell had caused problems, he was determined to record every moment and not only give his lover the chance of a lifetime – a chance to be a child – but give himself a whole cache of black mail material on the other three.

"Timmy," Kon stood on wobbly legs, his chubby fingers grasping Tim's long sleeves, "Timmy – up! Cookie – cookie Tim COOKIE!"

"Alright," scooping the young boy up, he got to his feet and moved over to the side, "You can have one cookie and one glass of juice – no more."

"No more, no more," the little boy sang as he reached forward and took three biscuits – stuffing them into his mouth before they could be taken from him.

"No Kon," Tim tutted and moved the boy away, "You're only supposed to have one."

Turning in his arms, Kon moved up and put his hands on Tim's cheeks, "Tim angwee?" he didn't wait for an answer, but seemed to see something in his eyes because his mouth wobbled and his face crumpled, "Kon sowee…" he burst into tears, the tables and chairs surrounding them beginning to shake.

"No, no – I'm not angry," Tim hugged the boy close and tried to soothe him, "Don't cry – I'm not angry." Looking over at Alfred for guidance, he noticed Bruce and Dick were awake and staring at him, Dick's eyes wide and unhappy – he looked as if he were about to cry as well, "Alfred …"

"Come now Master Bruce, Master Dick – cookies and juice," the elder man shifted Clark onto his hip and made an encouraging motion.

The two dark-haired boys didn't say anything, but Dick nodded at Bruce and waited as the older boy moved off the seat and padded over to the side, carefully taking a glass of juice and a biscuit and bringing it back. Once Dick was happily slobbering on his treat, Bruce returned and got his own.

Clark took a biscuit and Alfred gave the last one to Superboy with a gentle pat to the head. The extra reassurance seemed to work, and he settled down, planting a sloppy crumby kiss on Tim's cheek before slumping back down to eat.

"Has there been any word from Miss Zatara?" Alfred asked as he put Clark down and reached inside the cupboard for a dust-buster.

"Yeah," Tim wiped his face and sighed as Kon's sticky fingers went straight to the skin he'd just cleaned, "She's narrowed down the location the spell came from, and J'ohn is working with her to find the culprit. She seems to think that if the spell isn't lifted, it'll release on its own – but not for a good few months…"

"Which is clearly not acceptable," Alfred nodded as he swept the debris up.

"Clearly not."

It was fully dark by the time the children had settled down to sleep, and only after three separate night lights had been found and plugged in.

Tim watched from the doorway, Kon and Clark had gotten over their earlier teasing and were back to back on one bed.  
He was a little concerned about Dick – the little boy hadn't spoken with anyone since his transformation, and Bruce had been ridiculously possessive of him; they'd not been more than three feet apart the whole day – not even when one of them had needed the toilet.

Leaving the room with a sigh, he hoped that the situation would be resolved soon.

Dick woke first, his dark blue eyes widening as he tried to move and found himself unable. Gently whining his distress, he pulled and shoved – trying his best to get free.

"Stay still."

He recognised the voice and immediately settled down. Once his eyes had adjusted to the gloom, he could see hands around his middle, and a small foot wrapped round his ankle, "Bwuce?"

"Yeah," Bruce shifted and tugged until Dick was turned and facing his best friend, "Okay now?"

"Mm." he nodded and allowed the covers to be arranged up against his neck, "Where's Timmy an' Cwark an' Cwon an' Awfie?"

"Clark and Kon," Bruce's voice was high and childish, but his grasp on language seemed much better than the other children's; his words coming out clear and correct, "Are still sleepy – Tim and Alfie should be sleepy in their rooms."

Satisfied with the answer, Dick cuddled closer and closed his eyes, "Gonna sweep now. Bwuce sweep too."

He sighed happily as he felt the older boy nod and kiss him on the forehead. Warm and content, he drifted back to sleep.

Lex arrived at the manor just after breakfast; he'd cancelled his meetings for the week and weaselled out of explaining anything to his Father before slipping out to his private jet. It worried him when Clark was attacked at the best of times – and messing with magic had never yielded good consequences before – but despite that, he couldn't help the warm loving feeling he got as his now little lover saw him, squealed his name loudly and dashed over at super-speed to give him a careful but tight cuddle.

"Are you being good Clark?" he bent down and picked the boy up, ruffling his messy curls.

"Uh huh," Clark nodded and transferred his arms to his Lex's neck, "Cwark a good boy!"

"And you're playing nicely with the others?" Lex felt the urge to keep asking questions – just to hear how cute Clark sounded; he didn't expect him to hang his head and pout, "What's wrong?"

"Kon mean," he sniffled, "He won't let me pway with Timmy – and Bwuce won't let Dwick play either."

"We'll just have to have a good talk with them then won't we," Lex bit back a smile, it was interesting to see the personality traits of the men being translated into their child-like perception of the world – and of course, both Kon and Bruce were possessive of their other halves; just as Lex would have been if he'd been close enough to be caught by the magic wave.

"Lex make Kon pway nice," Clark beamed, "Lex make Bwuce pway nice – evwyone pway nice!"

Buried in a castle, deep in the frozen wastes, a young blond curled tightly into her blanket, her tiny limbs cold and sore. Her face was a mess of snot and tears as her stomach rumbled, "Cwark…," she sobbed, "Kawa lownly."

END PART ONE.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Ybab Cigam – Part Two.

Series: DC-U

Pairings: Bruce x Dick, Tim x Kon, Lex x Clark

Rating: PG

Warnings: AU, OOCish, Fluff, Idiocy, Smut

Disclaimer: I own my brain and the stories it creates. DC and many others own the characters that I play with – as such, no money is made and much time is wasted.

YBAB CIGAM.

Part Two.

The noise in the sitting room had reached near deafening levels, and Lex found himself squinting to try and minimise the impact his headache was having on his vision.

Alfred had gone out to get 'supplies' and he'd been left in charge – it had sounded easy at the time; the kids had settled down for a nap after their lunch and it'd all been quiet. It had lasted a glorious twenty minutes – then Kon had squirmed in his sleep and accidently kicked Dick – the force of his chubby super-foot sending the little boy flying off the sofa and crashing into a bookshelf. Bruce had been awake within moments of Dick moving, and had launched at the sleeping boy, not caring that he was reaching over Clark to get him.

The resulting brawl ended with all of them – except Bruce – in tears, and the walls trembling. It took some doing, but he managed to get to Dick and make sure he wasn't really hurt – a few bumps and a nasty looking bruise to the back of his leg. Then he'd taken Kon and Clark into his arms and hugged them tightly – trying to shush their cries before they caused any physical damage to the place and to him.

That had been half an hour ago, now they were all happily shouting around the room – the two Superbabies hovering a worrying foot or so above the ground. He didn't think he'd ever been more relieved when Tim walked in the room, slinging his bag down and calling out his greeting.

"TIMMY!!" Kon screamed and literally flew at the dark haired boy, "Timmy, Timmy, Timmy, Timmy!!!"

"Missed me?" Tim laughed and caught the boy before he could flatten him with forward momentum.

"Missed yew!" Kon pressed sloppy kisses all over his favourite Timmy's face.

"You look exhausted L..Lex," Tim hesitated slightly over the informal mode of address – the other man had told him to call him as such, but it felt weird after years of 'Luthor' being spat with varying amounts of vitriol either by himself or those around him.

Lex was about to respond when his cell rang – there were only a select few people who had the number to this one, so he reached into his pocket and answered it, "Luthor."

"Lex," it was Martha on the other end

"Martha good to hear from you," they hadn't told the Kents what had happened to their son and grandson – they'd been celebrating their anniversary with a trip it had taken Clark months to convince them to take; and Lex knew that Clark wouldn't want them to have been interrupted for anything that was less than life threatening, "You're back early."

"We had a strange phone call from one of the farm hands – Lex, Streaky and Krypto have well… they're little and so are some of the livestock in the neighbouring farms – ones near the meteor pits … has something happened to Clark?"

"Funny you should say that," Lex muttered under his breath, "A few days ago he and Kon were hit with some form of magic and turned into children – it seems that anything related to Clark has been effected as well."

"Oh my, why didn't you tell us?" Martha sounded bemused, but there was a slight edge creeping into her voice, one that seemed to say – you should have.

"Clark – he told me how hard he had to work to convince you guys to go away – we didn't want to interrupt you when it was possible that it could have been fixed right away."

"Has it been 'fixed' yet?" Martha sounded indulgent now – touched by her son's devotion, and then paused, "So you say it affected anything related to Clark..?"

"Yes, pets as well so it would seem." Lex chuckled at the idea of the irritating mutt that Krypto was, as a small fluff ball with too big ears.

"Are Kara and Beppo with you? Are you at the mansion?"

"Oh sh… excuse me Martha; I need to arrange transport to the Fortress." Lex hung up and quickly stood.

"What's wrong?" Tim was holding Kon against his chest, the younger boy dozing happily as he sucked on Tim's thumb.

"We forgot to check on one of the Supers," Lex bit out, "You're in charge here."

Dick's leg hurt and he was feeling very sorry for himself. He felt a little jealous as he watched Kon doze, happily wrapped in Tim's arms – he wanted a cuddle like that. Standing up, his eyes filled with tears – it really hurt! Still, he was determined to get himself a hug. Toddling over, he grabbed hold of Timmy's knees and made the universal gesture for up.

"Dick," Tim was surprised to see the little boy coming over to him, especially as Bruce was somewhere in the back of a dresser cupboard, doing something with empty tins and coasters, "Hold on a second." He gently shifted Kon into the crook of his arm and scooped the young man up, "What happened to your leg?"

Dick raised his finger and pointed at Kon, a pout turning his lips into an unhappy bow, "Kw…"

Bruce, having heard Dick's name, dashed over from his hiding place and dragged him off Tim's lap, shooting the teenager a murderous look as he did so, "Mine," he proclaimed and hustled Dick over to his cupboard where he could keep an eye on him.

Dick hung his head, the pout turning into an even unhappier line as he sniffed and tried to hide his tears.

Bruce still heard him though and stared at him, "What wrong?"

He felt embarrassed now Bruce was staring at him, and he could see the hurt in the older boy's eyes, "Hug."

Looking back at the way Tim was holding Kon, Bruce quickly figured it out, "I hug you – you no need Tim – you have Bruce."

"Uhm," Dick nodded his assent and smiled, tears and upset vanished at the sight of Bruce smiling; his arms open wide just for him.

Tim watched as the two kids hugged each other close, Bruce's eyes shutting and a most peaceful look stretching across his face. Reaching into his pocket, he tapped the remote and activated the cameras – knowing with his total coverage of the room, he'd have caught that look on at least one of them, and could preserve it for the future - one in which he hoped the two men would stop dancing round each other and finally get it together.

It was almost embarrassing the way they flirted and backed off, got possessive and jealous but did nothing – most people already thought the two of them were an item – and he was always met with disbelief when he was forced to explain that it wasn't the case.

Zatanna was tired; they'd been scouring the depths of the city for days without success. It seemed that whoever had cast the spell had cleared up after themselves thoroughly and gone to ground in a very short time.

Beside her, J'ohn was watching the monitors, "Nothing here." He muttered, "I'll have to leave you now," he touched the unit on his chest and he shifted into a very good copy of Nightwing, "I need to patrol Bludhaven and get back to the station."

"I'm going to search one more sector," the Magician rubbed her eyes, her pride a little tender at her lack of success, "I'll meet you back there later."

"Alright," the Martian nodded and dissolved into the light of the teleporter, "Be careful."

Staring up at the roof of the parked jet, she let out a sigh and prepared to spread her senses again.

Oracle was directing Batgirl to a particularly vicious attack when a familiar but unexpected voice chimed in her ear, "Mr. Luthor – what can I do for you?"

"I need your help Ms. Gordon," the man's voice was cool as usual, but her high-tech software could detect an underlying current of panic.

"Is something wrong with Batman?" she couldn't think of any other reason why Luthor would be talking to her during the evening when she was due at the mansion the next morning unless something had gone wrong with the children, "Or Nightwing?"

"No, not them. Mrs. Kent phoned earlier and reminded me that we don't have all the Supers accounted for …"

"Kara!" Barbara exclaimed, she'd been good friends with Supergirl back in her heroing days – and it'd only been recently that they'd fallen out of touch.

"Exactly, I'm going to be heading up to the Fortress – but … well, I don't deal well with children at the best of times, and certainly not little girls – which we believe she'll be," it sounded like it pained Luthor to make that admission, and she was both amused and impressed, "If you've got the time, I think she'll be needing a familiar face – especially if the Fortress doesn't recognise her; there's a good chance she's been up there for three days with no food or amenities."

"Oh god," Babs blanched and hurriedly patched signals through to Batgirl, Huntress and Black Canary – informing them she would be out of contact for the rest of the night, "When can you pick me up?"

"Is now good?"

"Now would be fine."

Alfred had returned home with a large car full of shopping. The house was quiet as he entered, and an irrational part of him worried about the children.

Hurriedly he put the food purchases away and carried the rest along on silent feet to the sitting room. Opening the door he peered inside; the first sight to meet his eyes made him chuckle.

Tim was sprawled against the base of the sofa; Clark curled round his neck like a cat, and Kon in his usual place on the boys lap – with Tim's thumb once again in his mouth. All three of them were sleeping peacefully and he was tempted to retrieve the little remote Master Timothy had been wielding for the better part of the last three days.

"Master Bruce?" he called as he entered, gently placing his bags on the side, "Master Dick?" he was met with two very distinct giggles and tiptoed towards the window, where he found a fort made from open cupboard doors, blankets and cushions from the other sofa, "Boys? Where's Master Lex?"

Bruce's tousled head appeared from behind, what he assumed was, the doorway, "Lex had to go – he nearly said a bad word," this statement was followed by a smug smile and a knowing sparkle in his dark blue eyes, "Lex nearly said a bad S word."

"And why did Master Lex nearly say the bad word?" Alfred carefully bent down, his knees creaking slightly with the exhaustion of a full day's shopping, "And where did he go?"

"Lex told Tim he forgot a Super," Bruce nodded and then looked over at the bags on the sideboard, "Did Alfie bring presents?"

"Yes Master Bruce, presents for everyone – and since you're being nice and quiet, why don't you and Master Dick come and chose first." He levered himself up again and gestured to the bags.

A bit of shuffling, and an almost topple of the fort, and then both little boys were staring up at him. It made his heart wrench slightly – this was the young Bruce he remembered before the darkness had swallowed him, the one who'd danced round the living room with his Mother and read his own bedtime stories to impress his Father. The impulse to reach down and embrace them both was strong, and he gave in – no one knew how long they'd stay like this – and he wanted to enjoy every second before they were both returned to their age and their pain.

"So," Babs fiddled with the controls of the Javelin, "Why couldn't we teleport directly into the Fortress?"

Lex rolled his eyes and adjusted the flight line, "It's Clark's 'Place of Brooding' – he had the A.I set up a dampening field so nothing can beam in or out; he tells everyone that the A.I did that by its self – but I know better."

"O…k…" she tried to think of something else to talk about, it was obvious that the 'Place of Brooding' was a sore subject for Luthor, and she was already on edge enough just being in close proximity in League equipment.

"We should reach the Fortress in roughly two hours," he finished plugging in the last co-ordinates and turned to face her, "Do you want something to eat?"

"You bought food?" she shouldn't have been surprised by his civility, but there was always something about the billionaire that took her off guard.

"Of course – if that Bucket of Bolts has done what I think it's done, it won't have registered a child size Kara and she won't have had any temperature control, toilet facilities or access to food," he gestured to a large box buckled in the back seat, "So I packed for as many different scenarios as I could think of."

"Why do you think it won't have scanned for her?" Babs dug a little deeper, genuinely curious about Lex's knowledge of the Super Family and the technology they possessed.

"When Clark landed, the A.I was supposed to have activated and taught him what he needed – it didn't; it was only when he was old enough to interact with the Jor-El portion of it that he could bring the whole thing online – I seriously doubt that Clark ever bothered reprogramming the sensors for Kryptonian youth – after all, at that time he thought he was the last one. And if Clark hasn't done it, that piece of junk won't have bothered either."

"I suppose that makes sense," Babs nodded slowly, "But surely as a computer program – no matter how sophisticated – it would have self diagnosed and repaired the memory core anyway?"

"That's Earth logic," Lex rolled his eyes, and she could feel she'd hit another sore spot, "Most likely it would have evaluated Clark, then Kon and Kara – gathered the data on their genetic ages and erased anything before that since their ages could *_never*_ be reversed," now **that** was pure Luthorian sarcasm in full force.

She found herself wondering just how Clark dealt with it when his lover was faced with the most advanced technology on the planet, and a refusal to share, "I … think I will have that something to eat…"

Deep in the under belly of Metropolis, a small man was scuttling through the darkness, a glowing green rod poorly concealed under his ratty jacket.

He'd not had time to see how well his work had succeeded – the woman and the alien had moved too fast, almost catching him – but as good as they were, he was better – and soon – soon he would make his second strike.

END PART TWO.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Ybab Cigam – Part Three

Series: DC-U

Pairings: Bruce x Dick, Tim x Kon, Lex x Clark

Rating: PG

Warnings: AU, OOCish, Fluff, Idiocy, Smut

Disclaimer: I own my brain and the stories it creates. DC and many others own the characters that I play with – as such, no money is made and much time is wasted.

YBAB CIGAM.

Part Three.

Bruce woke to an empty bed, and immediately sat up. Forcing his eyes to focus, he stared around him – trying to work out where Dick had gone. He relaxed as he heard the toilet flush and the bathroom light click off, "Dick?"

"Here Bwuce."

"You were gone," Bruce didn't like night time – night time was dark and scary and full of strange noises; it made him feel little and afraid, "I woke up and you were gone." His eyes started to water despite himself and he tried to hold the need to sob back.

The bed dipped next to him and by the light of the nightlight he could just make out Dick's huge eyes staring into his, worry creasing his little face, "M Sorry Bwuce. Won' do it 'gain."

"Pwomise?" Bruce's voice went really little as he felt a little tear slip free and trickle down his cheek.

Dick saw it, and immediately started to cry, "I pwomise, I never do it 'gain – don' cwy Bwuce!"

Upset that his upset had caused Dick to be upset, Bruce pulled the little boy into a tight embrace, "Its okay - love you – love you soooo much."

"Lub you too," Dick dried his tears and then using his pyjama top, carefully dried Bruce's, "Lub you more than anyone!"

"Pinkie pwomise?" Bruce solemnly held up his hand, little finger jutting upwards.

"Yep – pwomise, lub Bwuce and neber leave! Now you."

"Love you," Bruce tightened his cuddle and kissed Dick's chubby cheek, "Love only you and never going away. Love you forever!"

"Good." Dick returned the kiss and shifted until Bruce relented and lay back down, "Night Bwuce."

"Night Dick."

She was cold and scared, and her belly was still rumbling. She'd been lucky the day before, she'd let the monkey out of his cage and he'd shared a banana with her. But now there was no food or drink left, and the room was beginning to smell where she'd needed to go loo in the corner.

"Let me out!" she banged her little hands against the wall, "LET ME OUT!"

"Kara?"

Her eyes widened as she heard her name, "Who's there?"

"Lex … and Barbara, are you alright?"

"I'm stuck!" she whined, stress and fear taking its toll, "I'm stuck and I'm hungry and I want… and I want… I want to go home!

"We're working on it – just hold on," Lex didn't really get on with Supergirl at the best of times, but it pained even him to hear the little girl dissolve into tears and wracking sobs, "Ms. Gordon," he turned to his companion as she rolled up next to him, "Stay here and talk to her – I'm going to go … interface… with the A.I."

Damn, damn and double damn, they'd found his lair.

The man watched from his hide away as the League members tore through his belongings – trying to discover the magic he'd woven.

"You won't find it there," he murmured softly, "I keep that information up here," he tapped the side of his head.

"This isn't good…" one of them was saying something to another, "We know who he is – but not where, or what he used – or if he'll do it again."

"Oh I'll do it again alright," a manic giggle escaped his lips as he hurried back down the hatch and into the sewers – it was only a matter of time now before they caught him, and he had to do as much damage as possible before they did – otherwise it would all be for nothing, and his employer would not be happy – he had to get to his next targets.

Somewhere in the distance, a streak of red sneezed.

Tim woke to the feeling of breathlessness and pressure, his limbs trapped against the mattress with the force of what felt like a truck. Squirming made his ribs hurt, but he managed to wiggle upwards enough to see what had got past his guard and pinned him down.

Kon was fast asleep, spread eagle across his chest, and Clark was wrapped about his leg – hugging it like a teddy. He flushed with embarrassment – he'd gone to sleep in just his boxers, and now was covered in de-aged Superhero.

"Kon?" he called softly, not wanting to startle a boy who had a tendency to flail, and the ability to smash large holes in buildings, "Kon? Wake up."

"Mmmm don' wanna," Kon turned a little, releasing Tim's right arm. The sudden influx of blood made it cramp and tingle; Tim gritted his teeth and closed his eyes – willing the prickling to subside quickly.

"Come on Kon," he wiggled his fingers until the feeling returned, then ran them through the boy's silky soft hair, "It's time to get up."

"Nuuuuoooo," the sleepy whine would have been adorable had Kon's new position not been putting an extreme amount of pressure on his bladder.

"Kon." He used his 'Robin' voice and it worked as it always did – the little Titan snapped upright and blinked at him.

Bracing himself, Tim could see the moment Kon really woke up and launched at him with a delighted squeal.

J'ohn was getting ready for his first shift off since the magic had happened, when he felt it – a strong feeling skittering across his brain, bringing with it a disturbing plan.

Pulling his rumpled clothes back on, he hurriedly flipped open his comms and broadcast his message to the whole league, "People – the Magician is close, be careful – his next targets," the words nearly stuck in his throat – so terrifying was the prospect, "His next targets are the Speedsters, specifically Flash and… and Impulse…"

And although most of the heroes were down on the planet, he could almost feel the terror bTHAT/b idea induced.

Dick was huddled in a little ball under the table. His stomach hurt, and no matter how many times Bruce rubbed his belly, or gave him drinks – nothing was stopping it.

He wanted to go find Alfie and tell, but he'd promised Bruce that he wouldn't – that he'd stay put and wait for him to come back.

He wasn't even sure where his friend had gone – but he knew that Bruce wouldn't have left him without a good reason, Bruce loved him – he'd told him so too.

Trying hard not to think about it, he lay his head down on the pillow Bruce had given him, and screwed his eyes up tight.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Ybab Cigam Part Four Series: DC-U Pairings: Bruce x Dick, Tim x Kon, Lex x Clark Rating: PG Warnings: AU, OOCish, Fluff, Idiocy

Disclaimer: I own my brain and the stories it creates. DC and many others own the characters that I play with as such, no money is made and much time is wasted.

YBAB CIGAM.

Part Four.

Bruce was panicking, he d wandered upstairs to find the medicine cabinet but he d taken a wrong turn somewhere around the second staircase, and now he had no idea where he was.

"Don t be upset," he scuffed his sleeve across his eyes, "Dick needs you gotta be a big boy, Dick needs you."

Taking a deep breath, he wandered down the hall, opening every door on the way one of them had to be right, one of them would lead him back to Dick all he needed to do was find it.

Alfred was worried, Dick was curled beneath the table in obvious pain and refusing to speak; and Bruce was missing.  
He couldn t leave the room to find him because Tim was still at school and the Supers' were flying around the living room ceiling; and seeing the way they bobbed and weaved made him think they didn't have as full a control of their powers as he would ve liked.  
The sound of the front door opening had him straightening up and preparing to defend the children should the need to arise. The footsteps didn't cause him to relax, but the familiar stick-slide of rubber wheels did Lex and Barbara were back, and from the approaching sounds they had Kara with them.

"Alfred?" Lex opened the door and peered round, "You in here?"

"LEEEEEEEEEEEX!" Clark dive bombed the startled man, and the butler didn t envy the businessman as he stumbled back and hit the wall with a woof.

"Miss Kara," Alfred smiled at the two women, "Miss Gordon, nice to see you both. I must apologise, but I need you to look after the children Master Bruce has wandered off and I must find him."  
Leaving the room at a fast pace, he hurried up the stairs, if Dick was in pain there was a good chance the little boy had gone up to the bathroom to find him some relief.

* * *

Bart was bored; he d done all his homework for the next two school years and played every game in the local rental store.  
Getting his shoes on, he zipped down and out towards the coast with everything that had been going on with the League, he was curious to see if anyone was down at the Titans Tower.

He was just reaching the bay when he felt a strange energy enveloping him it warred inside him with the speed force and he fell to his knees, the molecules of his body vibrating against each other.

Huddling in on himself, he tried to take deep breaths, but his ability to do so was severely hampered by the encroaching darkness in his vision. With a ragged sigh, he dropped to the floor and lay still.

* * *

Kara felt a lot better than she had done in days, in the plane she'd been given a quick bath and clean clothes by Babs, and Lex had given her so much yummy food that her belly was all well and full.

Looking around her, she smiled and waved at her family and trotted over to join them. It was only as she approached that she noticed the little whimpering ball under the table.  
Getting on to her knees, she crawled across and gently tapped him on the side, Hey, her voice barely scraped a whisper, "Hey...are you alright?"  
A small pained groan was her only answer, so she tugged and turned until the boy had his head resting on her lap a pose she'd seen her Aunty use on her Uncle when his back and legs hurt from being on the farm.

Dick tried to protest, but stopped and stared up at the newcomer when he realised the pain was going away, leaving him feeling strong and very very hungry, "Kawa?"

* * *

It didn't take Alfred very long to find his missing charge, Bruce had managed to find the staircase and was on his way back down, a bottle of stomach medicine clutched firmly in one small hand.  
Leading the boy back into the main room, he watched in concern as the young man's face went from surprised, to heartbroken to angry as he caught sight of Dick feeling all better talking and laughing with Kara as he lay in her lap.

Master Bruce, he tried to put a hand on the boy's shoulder, but the angry child shrugged it off and stomped past the table making sure that Dick watched him not looking at him.

Dick hurriedly said goodbye to Kara and wormed his way out from under the table. Hurrying over to Bruce, he flung his arms around his waist, "Bwuce!"

"Let go." Bruce's voice wobbled a little as he angrily pushed Dick's arms away, "And go away."

"Bwuce...", unprepared for the action, the smaller boy toppled backwards and landed on the floor with a flop, "Bwuce?"

"I said GO AWAY!" Bruce yelled, then regretted it as Dick's face crumpled and he burst into tears tears that were soon echoed by both Clark and Kon.  
He scowled nastily as Kara stomped over and taking Dick's hand, led him over to the sofa where Tim and Lex were attempting to calm their charges.

"Master Bruce," Alfred knelt down next to the boy, "I think you should apologise to Master Dick."

"No", crossing his arms over his chest, Bruce pulled himself up onto the plush window seat and hid behind the curtain, "He promised I'd look after him he lied to me."

Rolling his eyes, the Butler picked across the mess of cushions and cans that were still on the floor, and joined Bruce on the window seat, "Master Dick didn't move the entire time you were gone Miss Kara went and spoke to him; he's not your toy Master Bruce he was scared and she gave him a cuddle."

"He's not hers to cuddle", Bruce didn't want to hear excuses or be told he was wrong - he could still hear Dick sniffing and sobbing from the other side of the room; he wanted to go and get his companion but his feelings were still hurt, "I help Dick, I got med'cine I should make him feel better not her."

"Why don't you go and say sorry give him a cuddle, and I'm sure he'll feel much better." Alfred gently stroked his hand through Bruce's silky soft hair, "Neither of you will be sad or angry then."

"He's got to say sorry too..." Bruce pouted, "He lied."

"Yes yes", the Englishman knew from experience that a compromise would be all he'd get from the boy, "Go over and speak to him now."

"No". Bruce pulled away and dragged the curtain further across, "He has to come here not saying sorry in front of her."

"Your pride", Alfred muttered under his breath and stood, "Very well I will ask Master Dick to come over here."

"Thank you Alfred." Bruce poked his head out just long enough to give the man a heart-warming shy smile.

* * *

It was Wondergirl who found Impulse, the young Speedster had made it as far as the Bay leading to the Titans Tower.  
Reaching for her communicator, she found herself grateful for Robin's over-bearing guardian and his insistence on having all Titans communications monitored by the League.

"Wondergirl to the Station, come in please,"

"Hawkgirl here what is it Wondergirl?"

"I've got an emergency Impulse there's something wrong with him..."

"Running around causing trouble as usual I suppose..." the woman's voice carried the distinct tone of someone rolling their eyes.

"No," the girl cut her off, "He's not moving at all."

The next sound she heard was the whirr of the transporter as she and Impulse were beamed up to the Space Station.

End Part 4


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Ybab Cigam – Part Five  
Series: DC-U  
Pairings: Bruce x Dick, Tim x Kon, Lex x Clark  
Rating: PG  
Warnings: AU, OOCish, Fluff, Idiocy

Disclaimer: I own my brain and the stories it creates. DC and many others own the characters that I play with – as such, no money is made and much time is wasted.

YBAB CIGAM.

Part Five.

J'ohn was just settling down for a quick nap - after patrolling Bludhaven all evening, exhaustion was pulling at every molecule of his being – the demands of Nightwing's job combined with the search for the missing magician were draining him of all energy.

Closing his eyes, he let out a deep breath – and heard the bleep of his communicator.

For a brief moment, he toyed with the idea of ignoring it – but duty and obligation had him roughly pulling the covers back and grabbing the device, "Yes?"

"J'ohn," it was Wonder Woman on the other end, "We need you at the station now; Impulse has been attacked – but he's not a child … he's just not moving."

His eyes widened as her words sunk in, and hurriedly he scrambled to pull his top and shoes on, "I'm ready – transport me now."

"Master Dick," Alfred sat on the chair and gestured for the small boy to come over.

"Awfie…" Dick's face was blotchy and red, still stained with tears and snot; he lifted his arms and waited for the older man to pick him up.

Settling the child on his knee, the butler pulled a handkerchief from his own pocket and carefully cleaned his little ward's face, "Bruce has something he wants to say to you – will you go and talk to him?"

"No," the little boy crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, "Bwuce pushed me, he tol' me to go 'way. I dun wanna talk to him."

"Master Dick," he turned the child so he could look him in the eye, "What Master Bruce did was wrong – but he was upset, don't tell him I said this," he lowered his voice, "but he got lost upstairs looking for your medicine – he was frightened and upset that you were hurting; he didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Bwuce won't let me play," the lower lip was wobbling again as Dick's childish mind tried to wrap round what he was being told – balancing it against the urge to stick his tongue out and ignore the other boy, "He hurt me."

"So you're going to hurt him- is that it?" Alfred didn't want to see the boy crying again – but he was all too familiar with childish stubbornness, and he had no desire to see the boys engaged in their own private cold war – one that would end up with all the other children taking Dick's side and making Bruce even worse.

"No," Dick hung his head, "Dun wanna hurt Bwuce."

"So go and talk to him – both of you need to say sorry, and then you can be friends again."

"Okay Awfie," he hugged the man tight and clambered down, "But if he pushes me 'gain- I'm gonna smack him."

"Go."

The station was on high alert, and every available member of the League and the Titans were in the meeting room.

J'ohn stood at the head of the table, his face grave, "At some point today, Impulse was attacked by the magician – instead of being made a child like the others, he has been frozen in place. The magic inside him is warring with the Speed Force, and if we don't hurry to reverse this – he will at best, be permanently damaged – at worse, he'll die."

"What can we do?" Wonder Girl had her fingers tightly laced together before her as she tried to contain the urge to hit something.

"Zatanna and I have been tracking the man – but he's eluded us so far. With your individual permissions, I will enter your minds and give you the 'feeling' of this man's magic – you'll then be able to track him without either of us present."

"Let's get on with it then," the teen stood and slammed her hands against the table, "We're wasting time – if he's already gotten Impulse – what's not to say he's already after the Flash and then the rest of us?"

"The Flash is staying on the station with the Green Lantern; we hope that by encasing him in the light from Hal's ring, we can mask his presence and prevent the magician from finding him." J'ohn moved across to the blond and put his hands on her shoulders, "This may hurt a little."

The magician scowled as he concentrated on the wand, the feeling of the Flash was fading in and out, and he couldn't get a clear lock on his target.

He'd hoped that by getting Impulse first, the others wouldn't discover him for a time – and that he'd have already converted the Flash before he was found; but it seemed that luck wasn't with him this time.

Putting the wand back under his jacket, he scuttled out of the over-flow tunnel he'd been resting in and made his way down towards the city; it wouldn't be long before his employer contacted him – he needed to be ready with the results, and his excuses.

End Part Five.


End file.
